Leviticus 2:13

13 Whatever thing of sacrifice thou shalt offer, thou shalt make it savory with salt, neither thou shalt take away the salt of the bond of peace of thy God from thy sacrifice; in each offering thou shalt offer salt. (With every grain offering that thou shalt offer, thou shalt make it savoury with salt, yea, thou shalt not fail to offer salt with thy grain offering, for it representeth the covenant with thy God; with every offering thou shalt offer salt.)

Leviticus 2:13 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 2:13

And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season
with salt
Which makes food savoury, and preserves from putrefaction; denoting the savouriness and acceptableness of Christ as a meat offering to his people, he being savoury food, such as their souls love, as well as to God the Father, who is well pleased with his sacrifice; and also the perpetuity of his sacrifice, which always has the same virtue in it, and of him as a meat offering, who is that meat which endures to everlasting life, ( John 6:27 ) and also the grave and gracious conversation of those that by faith feed upon him, ( Mark 9:50 ) ( Colossians 4:6 )

neither shall thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be
lacking from thy meat offering;
this seems to suggest the reason why salt was used in meat offerings, and in all others, because it was a symbol of the perpetuity of the covenant, which from thence is called a covenant of salt, ( Numbers 18:19 ) namely, the covenant of the priesthood, to which these sacrifices belonged, ( Numbers 25:13 ) hence the Targum of Jonathan,

``because the twenty four gifts of the priests are decreed by the covenant of salt, therefore upon all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt:''

with all thine offerings thou shall offer salt,
even those that were not to be eaten, as well as those that were; as the burnt offering of the herd, of the flock, and of fowls, and their several parts; all were obliged to be salted that were offered, excepting wine, blood, wood, and incense ^F24; hence there was a room in the temple where salt was laid up for this purpose, called (xlm tkvl) , "the salt room" ^F25; and which was provided by the congregation, and not by a private person {z}; our Lord has reference to this law in ( Mark 9:49 ) the Heathens always made use of salt in their sacrifices ^F1.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F24 Maimon. Issure Mizbeach, c. 5. sect. 11.
F25 Misn. Middot, c. 5. sect. 2.
F26 Maimon. Issure Mizbeach, c. 5. sect. 13.
F1 Ante Deos Homini Ovid. Fastor. l. 1. Vid. Horat. Carmin. l. 3. Ode 23.

Leviticus 2:13 In-Context

11 Each offering which is offered to the Lord, shall be without sourdough, neither anything of sourdough, and of honey, shall be burnt in the sacrifice of the Lord. (Each offering which is offered to the Lord, shall be made without yeast, yea, nothing of yeast, or of honey, shall be burned as an offering to the Lord.)

12 Ye shall offer only the first fruits of those, and gifts; soothly those shall not be put on the altar, into odour of sweetness. (Ye shall offer the first fruits of your grain each year to the Lord; but they shall not be put on the altar, to make the sweetest aroma to the Lord.)

13 Whatever thing of sacrifice thou shalt offer, thou shalt make it savory with salt, neither thou shalt take away the salt of the bond of peace of thy God from thy sacrifice; in each offering thou shalt offer salt. (With every grain offering that thou shalt offer, thou shalt make it savoury with salt, yea, thou shalt not fail to offer salt with thy grain offering, for it representeth the covenant with thy God; with every offering thou shalt offer salt.)

14 Forsooth if thou offerest a gift of the first things of thy fruits to the Lord, of ears of corn yet green, thou shalt scorch, or singe, them in fire, and thou shalt break them in the manner of bruised corn; and so thou shalt offer thy first fruits to the Lord,

15 and thou shalt pour oil thereupon, and thou shalt put incense, for it is the offering of the Lord. (and thou shalt pour oil on it, and thou shall put frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering to the Lord.)